Positive traits, values and attitudes - Forgiveness Flashcards
religion preaches forgiveness, but this is strange because it also preaches…
doing bad things to people who have done bad things to you
- Idea of revenge is also deeply entrenched in our psychology and religious dogmas
how does enright define forgiveness?
- what is different about his view
: a willingness to abandon one’s right to resentment, negative judgment and indifferent behaviour toward one who unjustly hurt us, while fostering the undeserved qualities of compassion, generosity, and even love toward him or her
difference: only for living people
how does thompson et al., define forgiveness?
esponses to the transgressor are transformed from negative to neutral/positive. The source of transgression may be oneself, another person or persons, or a situation (e.g., an illness, … or a natural disaster)
• The most expansive
how does McCullough define forgivenenss?
forgiveness reflects increases in prosocial motivation toward another such that there is (1) less desire to harm the transgression person, (2) increased desire to act positively toward the transgressing person
how does Tangney et al define forgiveness?
a cognitive-affective transformation - victim makes a realistic assessment and freely chooses to ‘cancel the debt’, giving up revenge …overcomes feelings of resentment and anger for the act. In short, by forgiving, the harmed individual…essentially removed himself or herself from the victim role
- Benefit to the mental health of the forgiver
What is forgiveness ( forgiveness as a… 3 things)
1) Forgiveness as a response
• Feelings, cognitions, behaviours, become less negative, more prosocial
• Change from negative to positive in our responses, thoughts, behaviours towards the person or situation
2) Forgiveness as personal disposition
• Tendency to forgive others across range of situations
• Measurable tendency → example, trait gratitude, trait forgiveness
3) Forgiveness as characteristic of social units
• Families higher in forgiveness than other units
• Within families/groups → higher tendency to forgive
What is forgiveness ( forgiveness as a… 3 things)
1) Forgiveness as a response
• Feelings, cognitions, behaviours, = less negative, more prosocial
2) Forgiveness as personal disposition
• Tendency to forgive others across range of situations
• Measurable tendency → trait gratitude, trait forgiveness
3) Forgiveness as characteristic of social units
• Families higher in forgiveness than other units
what ISN’T forgiveness? (is not… 5 things)
1) Not condoning • Finding justification for the offense 2) Not excusing • Believer offender has defensible reason for offense 3) Not pardoning • Escaping legal sanctions for offense 4) Not reconciliation • Repairing relationship with offender •may come as a result 5) Not forgetting or denying
how can unforgiveness be a stress reaction
> what similar physiological states does it evoke
>what is trait forgiveness associated with
(McCullough)
- It feels stressful
• BP, HR, EMG similar to anger in imagined unforgiveness
• Anger reduces prefrontal activity (executive functions), increases limbic activity (e.g., amygdala)
• Trait forgiveness (general tendency to be forgiving) associated with reduced levels of stress hormone cortisol (HPA axis)
• Blood chemistry similar during unforgiveness and stress
- It creates similar moods and mental states
LOOK AT DIAGRAMS
DIAGRAMS
c
dsa
stress reaction dealt with by emotional replacement - replaced by what positive emotions? (LISTEN)
- Empathy → understanding the transgressors emotions
- Sympathy
- Compassion → Buddhist philosophy, one of the major virtues, caring about someone else deeply and completely even if there is no justification for that compassion
- Altruistic love → love that doesn’t require any return, giving despite not getting any return or justification
How do we measure Forgiveness?
1) Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS) – Rick Snyder: 18 items, 7-point Likert scale, both self- other- and situation- forgiveness
2) Transgressions-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory (TRIMS) - McCullough: 12 items Likert scale, rates revenge and avoidance→ reacting to a specific transgression in your life,
3) Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI): state forgiveness, 60 items in 3, 20-item subscales. 6-alternative Likert. Fill in the blank
WHat is state forgiveness?
STATE UNFORGIVENESS in the context of a PARTICULAR transgression
• I’ll make him pay
Enright Forgiveness Inventory (EFI) has what three subscales
- Affect subscale: I feel _____ toward him or her → warm; negative; kindness; happy; hostile; unloving
- Behaviour subscale: regarding him, I do or would ______ → stay away; do a favour; put him down; avoid; ignore
- Cognition subscale: I think he or she is ______ → dreadful; loving; worthless; nice